Shoot-to-Kill Order Issued for Crows

DANVILLE, Ill. — The City Council on Tuesday declared war on crows, giving police officers the power to shoot the birds inside city limits.

Officers will use shotguns to try to rid the city of thousands of unwanted crows, Police Chief Robert Dietzen said. The shootings will be done only in non-residential neighborhoods, he added.

The city tried putting large plastic owls in trees, "and all that did was chase the blackbirds out of that tree, but then they go to other trees, so all we've been doing so far is moving them from one area to the next," City Health Commissioner Jerry Brown said.